Bittersweet
by SyIzumakai
Summary: A slight Apritello story from Casey Jones' POV. Bigfoot has just gone back into the woods with The Finger. Casey Jones and April are busy cutting wood when Casey decides to go get lemonade for the two of them. When he comes back however, he sees Donatello and April, at the end of their little confession. This is how I would think Casey took it.


Farm work was a hard job and there was no way he was keeping pace with April. The girl didn't look it, but she was very handy and hard working. April was putting him to work and making it look easy and Casey couldn't help but be impressed.

"Alright Jones, all that's left is firewood. It's getting cold out and you never know when snow or ice might hit. We need to be prepared." She grabbed the ax and held it out. "A little hard work never killed a person."

Casey looked to the ax and slowly took it. "I dunno Red, we've been workin' for a while now. Don't ya think we should take a break?"

"That's wimp talk. You're not a wimp, are you Casey?" She smirked slyly at him as she lined up the log. "Come on now, surely that awesomeness you brag about isn't all talk."

"Casey Jones ain't no wimp." And with that, he swung down the ax and sliced through it... half way. He had to bring it back up, the log coming with it and back down on the stump. This really was hard work!

April laugh as she gathered the two pieces and placed one back up, "Good going Jones!"

So they worked, chopping up plenty of firewood to last for quite a while. There were four mutant turtles in the farmhouse and with winter coming, they had to keep the farm house warm after all. After a while, Casey's arms started to get sore and he lowered the ax, rubbing his arms and looking towards the girl of his affection. She was beautiful, even when she tricked him into doing work, if anything it made her more attractive, just like the first time he saw her fighting that blob monster he would later know was Mutagen Man. She was strong, fierce, smart, quick thinking, powerful, and a looker. The full package. He knew his own feelings for her was in competition with Donatello and Raphael had made it clear not to start anything. April wasn't too keen on him trying to be direct either when he tried to ask her about their relationship in the woods before the creep showed up.

So he wouldn't purposely cause anything. Just a little flirting now and then, behave and let things work out on their own. They had something special between them, something that's different from aliens and mutants and Casey had heard about the music box and how that went so... he had a chance, right? In the end, things would work out and she'll see what he could offer.

"Alright Red. I'm gonna to get us somethin' to drink." Casey spoke up and handed over the ax to the red head.

She took it carefully and nodded. "I'm just going to cut up a few more pieces and then we can stack it up."

"Ya got it!"

And with that, the teen vigilante started for the farmhouse, grinning as he opened the door. Donatello had been out all day making sure that Bigfoot and The Finger was way away from the Farmhouse and checking the surrounding areas with the other turtles, so he and April spent the day doing basic chores. They had a set plan to completely clean the house this weekend, but for now, the little things were getting done.

He opened the freezer and gave Ice Cream Kitty a small pet with two fingers before shutting the door, opening the door to the fridge, grabbing the drink, and going over to wash his hands after removing the gloves he always donned. He enjoyed the time he spent with April, with no one else around. It wasn't as if he didn't enjoy Raphael's company or any of the other turtles, (Well, maybe Donnie's), but April was all he had left of his original reasons to protect the city. He already had failed his father, his little sister, and his family and city was mutated.

But he still had April, and her companionship was something he truly valued. At first, yeah, he was simply looking for someone who would help him pass his classes so he wouldn't lose his spot on the hockey team, and yeah, she was a cute girl and his eyes might have scoped her out a once or twice, but she had proven herself so much more than a pretty face and she could kick his butt if he stepped a toe out of line. It was just a matter of impressing her.

Glasses out, he quickly filled them with ice and grabbed the jug with the store bought lemonade off the counter and filled both to the near rims. He placed the drink container back in the fridge, and grabbed both glasses and started for the outside.

Maybe after they were done stacking the firewood, they could watch something on the television, relax with some popcorn or sodas. Maybe even a movie and sneak a small cozy moment before they watched that Barbarian show that Michelangelo enjoyed so much with the others.

Muffled voices broke his train of thought and he could hear Donatello speaking with April. Great. So much for those plans. What did Gap-tooth want with April anyways? Didn't she make her feelings clear before?

"You're not just any mutant Donnie..." Casey heard April correct the tall turtle. What was going on? He peered over from the side of the house where he was, not spying, no, but... observing in the hidden distant.

"You're my mutant."

She closed the gap between the two and Casey watched as the girl of his dreams kissed the mutant turtle on the lips after claiming him as hers. It was brief, but it was enough.

April had kissed Donatello.

Casey gripped the glasses in his hand tightly as the realization washed over like the high tide of an ocean. She was returning his rival's heart's affections. She had made her decision. This wasn't like the kisses on the cheek that purple banded turtle normally got from the kunoichi, like when her father was returned to normal, this was on the lips, more serious and more certain.

He had to snap out of his thoughts when he noticed that the redhead was heading back towards the house in his direction and he moved back to make it look like he was just leaving the farmhouse as April rounded the corner, a smile on her face.

"Oh hey Casey! I was just going in to look for you." She spoke up, acting none the wiser if she had in fact, caught him staring, acting normal as always. "You alright?"

No. He wasn't alright in the least. He felt like his heart was ripped in two, stomped with soccer shoes and burned the remaining corpse until his ashes only blew away in the wind, alone and scattered.

But now was not the time to let that heartbreak show. "Sure Red! Just a little surprise ya couldn't wait for my fabulously tastin' convenient store lemonade. Thirsty much?" Pretend you didn't see.

"Oh yeah, I love that cheap stuff so much." April chuckled before taking a glass and sipping it. "I'm going to head inside real quick and then we can stack the firewood alright? I was thinking we could watch something with Donnie and the others when we finish. Sound good?"

"Yeah Red." Casey smiled and nodded. "Sounds awesome."

April smiled. "Great!" She headed inside, leaving Casey alone with his thoughts as he watched her leave and he just sipped his own lemonaide, though he had no thirst. It tasted bitter, made his tongue curl and almost wanted to spill it to the ground.

Donatello had won. While he didn't consider April some trophy to whoever would get to be with her, there was always this competition between the two boys on who April's heart would belong too. They often fought, made little snarky jabs at each other, and drove the very girl they were trying to impress up the wall but there was also a hint of understanding and respect between them as well. Mostly over the fact that either one of them would do anything it took to protect April if she was to come into harm.

It might not be a friendship, but it was definitely a worthy rivalry.

He took another sip of the lemonade, the icy chill of it hitting his heated throat as he could almost swear that he might have tasted a little bit of sugar in that gulp.

Donatello has definitely known April longer than he had, and they had a special bond, a friendship that, admittedly, his own friendship probably didn't come close too. Maybe he was foolish to think that just because Donatello was a mutant that April wouldn't give him a chance. She was so much better than that. Sweet and kind, and gave everyone a chance, why would her own heart be any different after all?

The bo-wielder would definitely do whatever it took to make her happy too. Donatello would probably bend over backwards to make her the things she desired that he could not get for her like Casey could as a human. Shoot, he could probably improve it too. Not that the hockey player wasn't a whizz with his own inventions, like the stunner, his bike, and gear, but Donatello was definitely a leg up.

If he makes her happy... that should be all the matters. April has suffered so much loss in the last year, and if Donatello made her happy... then he could be happy for her too. Or at least try.

The only question is how to act. No...

He would continue on, like he didn't see anything. They would come out on their own time, and in the mean time, he could still get away with flirting, teasing, and getting close to April and soaking in the last of the tiny hoped heat from the candle that he would probably continue to hold for her, for as long as he could get away with.

Until it was official, he could continue to be the brat to his rival like he always would, never let the other know that Casey knew that Donatello already won. And when they did come out? He would put on that act like everything was okay, just like when he was questioned about his father and little sister.

Someone had to continue to smile after all.

"Alright Casey, ready to get the rest of this done real quickly?" April asked as she popped back towards him, looking refreshed and lemonade glass free.

Casey turned to looked at April and her question before downing the last bit of the lemonade, finally tasting the sugar behind the sour. "Let's do this!" He cried out before setting the glass down on the porch step and heading back to the stump and logs, where Donatello still remained.

"Hey Brainiac! Ya just gonna stand there?! Help us out will ya?!"

"Shut up Puckhead! I was waiting for April!"

"You guys never stop..."

Bittersweet, just like that cheap lemonade.

A/N: (( I wrote this back when the invasion actually happened and A Foot Too Big had played the night before, so it's a little dated, or a lot dated, but I never uploaded it here so I thought I would. Apologies for any missed typos or grammatical issues. ))

So I had an idea in the shower, what if Casey saw April and Donnie kissing at the end of A Foot Too Big?

I would like to first start off by saying I am a huge Apritello fan, but recently there has been an appreciation for Casey Jones. Especially lately. Everyone lost their father, Casey lost his little sister, and while the turtles still had their brothers, Casey believed he had a special connection with April over the fact that they were both family-less.

So if he was to know about the kiss... How would he feel? This is just my little drabble of what I think might have been running through his mind.


End file.
